Oh, I Love America

While it's true that you could use this delightful little song to get younger singers involved in the revue Americans We, we found that it's just as much fun for us older kids, too! We call it a head-bouncing song because it seems like you just can't listen or sing it without bouncing your head to the happy quarter note groove. It's a little campy, a little old-fashioned, and if you listen carefully you may recognize some small fragments of familiar tunes here and there.

The melody is so catchy, not to mention easy, all of your students will pick it up very quickly. In fact, we're betting your audience will, too! Since the chorus repeats, consider inviting the audience to join in the second and/or third times.

A cute visual enhancement for this song would be the use of big hearts as props. They could be paper or cardboard; red, white, and blue or covered in stars and stripes. (Hey, there's an art project to get other classes in on the action!) Have performers just hold the hearts, or bounce them to the beat, maybe during the chorus. Have them alternate raising and lowering the hearts in a sort of call and response. Maybe imitate that with bending of the knees at the same time in alternate patterns. When singing "I do," they could push the hearts out from their bodies, then back in, implying a "heart beat." What fun!